A MIDLAND Multiple Sclerosis sufferer today warned fellow patients against a UK-registered company which promised to treat him with "pioneering" stem cell treatment.

A MIDLAND Multiple Sclerosis sufferer today warned fellow patients against a UK-registered company which promised to treat him with "pioneering" stem cell treatment.

Malcolm Pear handed over #14,000 after reading testimonials on the Advanced Cell Therapeutics website, which claims it can reduce the symptoms of a range of diseases from MS and Parkinson's to HIV.

Moments after undergoing the procedure in Europe, Malcolm Pear, 51, says he was able to walk unaided, despite having to previously rely on elbow crutches to move.

After returning to the UK, his wife Lesley spent hours on the phone promoting the treatment to hundreds of callers who inquired about its benefits.

But three months after stem cells from discarded umbilical cords were injected into his spine, the health of the former Bromsgrove chartered accountant deteriorated sharply.

The Pears then found it impossible to contact ACT and the only correspondence they received were emails offering expensive top-up treatments.

No-one from ACT could be contacted for comment, but according to BBC reports ACT was the brainchild of American Laura Brown and her South African boyfriend Steve Van Rooyan who also set up an American company called Biomark, offering unregulated stem cell treatment.

The pair, who have no medical training, fled America and are currently wanted by the FBI on 50 charges alleging "misrepresentations...about the effectiveness of the stem cell therapy".

Mrs Pear said: "I just feel so very sad. People were phoning me all day - some were talking about taking out second mortgages.

"I feel responsible for telling these people how wonderful Malcolm was. The improvements were absolutely incredible and I gave a lot of people a lot of hope. To think these people have gone ahead on the basis of my words is dreadful."

Although ACT never promised to fully cure her husband, Mrs Pear said that the company had never checked on his progress after the treatment was given.

Yesterday, in a open letter, a group of British scientists warned patients to be wary of "extravagant" treatment claims.